SAN DIEGO, Dec. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- The wave of people looking for the top franchises for 2013 is increasing daily. With more and more people leaning towards self employment and starting personal businesses due to the poor economy and not being able to rely on a job that may decide to downsize any day, the interest in franchise opportunities has understandably grown. According to the International Franchise Association, the Franchise Business Index has been steadily increasing since August and this is expected to continue as small business optimism increases for the New Year.

Franchises provide many benefits over starting a business from scratch. When starting a business from scratch, potential business owners will face many challenges. They will have to come up with a business idea that is profitable, as well as a comprehensive business plan and a way to market their business and gain brand recognition.

With a franchise, many of these business issues are already taken care of. The franchise will usually come with a ready to use business plan, with a product or service that is in demand and brand which many people will already know and trust. This brand recognition is what most people pay for when they buy a franchise.

One trend that many are seeing is the surge in interest people have had not only in traditional franchises such as fast food chains or convenience stores etc. but in online franchises. Part of the reason many of the top franchises for 2013 involve some sort of online facet is the fact that the internet grants business owners access to the world wide market as opposed to the much smaller local market that could be reached through traditional business marketing practices.

There are many options when it comes to online franchises. The services and products that can be marketed are virtually endless. One thing that potential online franchise owners should look for is how much demand the service or product has for it, as well as how recognizable the company offering the product or service is.

Valpak Direct Marketing Systems Inc., Cybertary, Mini Cities Inc., WSI Internet, Results! Travel and Liberty Tax Service are all online franchises which have been ranked as some of the top franchises for 2013 by Franchise 500.

These online franchise businesses are also usually less costly to start up than offline franchises and this could be a deciding factor for many people. This means that business owners can start a business even if they have a small budget to work with or instead devote more of their finances to other pressing needs.

Another reason online franchises are some of the top franchises for 2013 is because many online functions can be automated. This means that business can be transacted even when the business owner is sleeping. This gives great potential for generating passive income, which continues to flow in even when the person is not actively engaged in working on or promoting the business.

These online businesses usually only rely on the person mastering a few simple online marketing skills. Learning these skills is easy, as there are many good online resources, many of which offer this training free of charge.

Those who would like to avail of this free training can click here. Those who would like to learn more about the franchise opportunities available in the new year can read the full Top Franchises For 2013 review.